Toda buffalo is a native genetically isolated semi‐wild breed, maintained by the aboriginal Toda tribes, present in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu, India. The available population is only 1800. It is a brown medium sized animal with long horns set wide apart in a circular fashion. This breed resembles the swamp buffaloes, but based on karyological studies, it is classified under the river buffalo. The expression profile of toll‐like receptor (TLR) 1–10 mRNAs in spleen, mesenteric lymph node, lung, skin, jejunum and rectum were assessed using TaqMan real time PCR with GAPDH as endogenous control from Toda and Murrah buffaloes (n=4). The Ct values for different TLR mRNA in the tissues were compared among each breed with spleen expression levels as calibrator as well as between the two breeds and analyzed using the relative expression software tool (REST 2008‐V2.0.7). The Toda buffaloes showed higher expression levels of TLR 1 and 10 mRNA in the lymph node, TLR 1 in jejunum and TLR 1, 5, 6, 7 and 10 mRNAs in the skin. However, in Murrah buffaloes, lowered expression levels of TLR 10 mRNA in lung, TLR 4 in lymph node and TLR 10 in rectum and skin were observed. The Toda buffaloes showed significantly higher levels of TLR9 mRNA in the lymph node and TLR 1,5,6,9 and 10 mRNAs in the skin than Murrah. Thus, higher expression levels of a wide repertoire of TLR mRNA were detected in the skin of Toda buffaloes. The resistance of the Toda buffalo to protozoan parasites such as Theileria or Babesia, as is known anecdotally, could be related to the stronger innate immune responses mediated by TLRs in the skin.This work has been funded under the National Agricultural Innovative Project, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi
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